Quote:
Originally Posted by jefferyepayne
For me the value of graded cards is in the guarantee of authenticity and protection against damage. Grading is so subjective that if you are not careful, you will often buy the grade instead of the card so I try hard not to judge the card solely by the number on it.
For small sets, I agree it is pretty easy to look at it if the cards are graded. For large sets, not so easy. This is one of the reasons I prefer raw cards in binders for my post-war sets. I like the ease of pulling out a binder and being able to flip through it without having to deadlift it to pick it up 
Pre-war sets I have are mostly graded for protection and most are very small in size so easy to look at that way. Besides, it's pretty difficult to find pre-war cards that AREN'T graded these days so most cards I buy are already graded anyway ... I haven't submitted more than a handful of cards to TPGs in my entire life ... I've cracked out a lot more than I've ever had graded.
Good topic for discussion!
jeff |
Jeff, if nothing else happens, I hope to generate some discussion here. I hear you loud and clear on all points. I do not buy flips for the sake of the number. Grading, as you asserted, is highly subjective. I have seldom ever submitted anything for grading but will buy cards already graded. In my prewar baseball exploits, I have cracked out many cards in the 2-5 range and have placed them in a binder, and they look awesome. The lithography and the style of the tobacco card backs appeal to me arranged as such. In that particular instance I am able to place the tobacco cards in a penny sleeve and toploader made for tobacco cards and they fit perfectly into pages made for small Bowmans.
Going back to standard size, higher grade 60s football, I have found no such systen that I am satisfied with to this point. So the graded aspect appeals to me in that instance. The card within is of much greater importance of course. The protection, uniformity, and organization are what appeal to me the most.
You mentioned size of set playing into this. I guess that is relative. After collecting 60s baseball with 598 card sets, the football sets of the 60s all look pretty small, relatively. To me a 220 card 1961 Fleer set all graded wouldn't be that big of an issue by comparison, and 62 and 63 Fleer with 88 cards each would be even more doable. These later two sets would each fit perfectly in a two row storage box. [emoji2]
Like you said though, one had to be really careful not to simply buy the flip when buying graded cards. Even if I pursue this, I will still stick to the same standards I always have. Thanks a lot for your reply!
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